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Even if you can't see them in person nimal lovers can now check out the pair of bobcats on their new wi-fi bobcat cam at CuriOdyessey in San Mateo, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (John Green/Staff)

One of the bobcats that animal lovers can now watch with CuriOdysseyâÄôs launch of its wi-fi monitoring camera in San Mateo, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (John Green/Staff)

One of the two bobcats animal lovers can now check out on their new wi-fi bobcat cam at CuriOdyessey in San Mateo, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (John Green/Staff)

Animal lovers can check out two of the most popular animals at CuriOdyessey, a pair of bobcats , on their new wi-fi bobcat cam in San Mateo, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013 (John Green/Staff)

SAN MATEO — The bobcats at CuriOdyssey are a joy to behold — if you can behold them at all.

Caro, 4, and Frankie, 3, don’t always hang out in the parts of their enclosure where visitors can see them. And cats being cats, they spend much of the day sleeping, often on a suspended platform far above the heads of young children.

So to provide greater access to the bobcats, the children’s museum has set up a webcam that lets animal lovers check out the feline pals anytime from sunrise to sunset. The device, dubbed the “Bobcat Cam,” offers a new glimpse into the bobcats’ world.

“One of the benefits of the camera is that people can see the cats when they’re most active, which is at dusk and dawn,” said Nikii Finch-Morales, the museum’s director of wildlife.

Rachel Meyer, executive director of CuriOdyssey, said in a statement that the camera, donated by San Francisco high-definition camera maker Dropcam, allows “kids and adults to make observations about these fascinating animals” that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. The museum, located in Coyote Point Park in San Mateo, features hands-on, science-themed exhibits and animals that are endemic to Northern California.

Though they’ve spent most of their lives in captivity, CuriOdyssey’s bobcats behave as they would in the wild, conserving energy during the day and doing must of their hunting — or, in this case, playing — when the sun is near or below the horizon. And they’re often more relaxed when visitors aren’t staring through the glass.

“People can see the animals interacting with each other and the exhibit a little more freely,” Finch-Morales said of the camera. “Sometimes when there are people there watching, the animals are a little more reserved.”

The camera’s perspective includes the upper reaches of the faux rock exhibit where the cats sometimes prowl. People can watch a live feed on the museum’s website (www.curiodyssey.org) or download an app to view it on their Apple or Google smartphones.

Frankie and Caro came to CuriOdyssey as kittens from the National Bobcat Rescue and Research Foundation in Texas. Frankie suffered neurological damage after being orphaned in the wild and remains a bit clumsy in his movements. But he’s more assertive than laid-back Caro, which is one reason Finch-Morales thinks the cats get along so well together.

“They really do love to be around each other — they’re very close companions,” Finch-Morales said on a recent morning as the cats snuggled on their platform. “There’s times when they’re lying on top of each other, and it’s just a tangle of fur, ears and feet.”